A Behavioral Analysis on Vongola Decimo and his Famiglia
by There'sALeekInTheBoat
Summary: "Trial #137 has resulted in failure. Sawada Iemitsu continues to follow me, although now with an increase in questions about a 'girlfriend'. Also, Tsunayoshi advised that Trial #128 should not be replicated in his presence again. Or anyone's. Ever." Reine writes of the trials and tribulations of protecting and joining the Vongola Decimo and his family.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a for funsies fic. Toying with an idea in my head and hoping I'll find the motivation to finish. Or to give somebody a good laugh. Or something. This is with an OC protagonist so please bear with me. **

**Also this is my third re-write. Yeah. I've rewritten this three times already. Or was it four? Five? I don't know anymore. I hope you enjoy this thing...whatever it is. **

* * *

"It's time to wake up." He opened his eyes, lifting his head to look at the speaker. A severe looking woman with sharp eyes loomed over him. "There were no problems I assume in your neuromemory downloads?" It wasn't necessarily a question.

The ten year old boy nodded as the woman pulled him forward, removing the cords connected to the base of his neck and skull. The nanometer needles easily slid out of his skin, although it did leave a fairly uncomfortable prickling sensation. The tubes fell to the floor and the woman led him out of the room, a single hand comfortingly set upon his shoulder. "It's study time for now, and then you'll be able to play with the other children."

The boy followed and as he did, they went past multiple rooms. All of them set in grey. People bent over desks and microscopes and standing in front of multiple tubes with strangely colored lights. A few, kinder people waved at him. Others turned away quickly. Eventually she led him to a room, far cozier than the other, which had been nothing but wires and cold tile.

Crimson carpet and wood paneling. Fireplace at one wall, an impressive collection of books on the other. And a grand piano sitting in the center of the room. There were no windows. But that was okay, he didn't much like when people looked in. His room had lots of windows.

She sat down at the piano, pulling up the cover. She sat patiently, waiting for him to pick a book. When he finally chose one, he sat down on the floor near her and traced the patterns on the carpet. "What did you choose today?" she asked, preparing her hands to play.

He lifted up the cover. "The Vongola's history?" She stood up, primly and elegantly, to tower over him. "A long and bloody history…perhaps not yet - not for a child…" Something in her tone made him wonder if she was unsure. But how could that be? She was always so sure. About everything really.

Curious, he opened the book. He was met by a portrait of several people, six men and one woman, each unique in appearance. All of them stood around a man sitting in the center. He wore eyes of gold.

He read the caption aloud, "Vongola Primo and his Famiglia." He looked back up at the woman biologically labeled as mother. "Is this man my father?" he asked, pointing at the man in the center.

His mother's own contribution to his features may have dulled the resemblance, but the fact that they were strikingly similar could not be ignored. "Sirica?" She did not respond. Her eyes were cloudy and she clutched at her abdomen. Then her expression cleared.

"Nothing but distant relative," she said dismissively. She ruffled his hair, trying to distract him with some attempt at physical affection. "Go read another book," she ordered, standing up and taking the book from his little hands.

For the next hour, Sirica thought he had been reading the _Origin of Species_, but in reality he had gone back to reading the records. Vongola Primo… He touched the portrait, then touched his own face. He looked at his mother, then examined his appearance in the reflective surface of the piano. Dark hair, pale yellow eyes with the white complexion of a corpse. All from his mother. But the messy hair, his figure and the remaining contours of his face were left to take Primo's mould.

He wondered what his father was like. And…and if perhaps he could be smiling so brightly, like the people in the picture.

…

* * *

…

Reine opened his eyes, jolting a bit and smacking his head against the ceiling. He clenched his jaw and exhaled slowly. He had been sitting in one place for too long. What would Reborn say for falling asleep on duty? He returned to his vigil, steadying his rifle and looking through the scope. He spied two men hiding in the trees.

It was fairly easy to read their conversation. They gestured to two children, one of which was his young ward who was currently dueling to the death with the Smoking Bomb, Gokudera Hayato. One removed a blowdart from his pocket. Poisoned, no doubt.

If Reine had his way, Gokudera Hayato's body would join the unnamed assassins hiding in the trees. He could prevent the duel altogether. But Reborn said this duel would be a fair test of Tsunayoshi's charisma.

_"__A good boss must have a particular strength of character to sway men to fight for his causes." _

Apparently, the test included Tsunayoshi running in his boxers screaming, "Defuse dynamites with my dying will!". The premise looked more like an excuse for Reborn to test the Dying Will bullets rather Tsunayoshi.

But who was he to question orders?

Tsunayoshi continued yelling, "Extinguish the fires with my dying will!" as he put out the bombs on the ground faster than they could go off.

"Damn it…Then take this — Triple bombs!" Gokudera Hayato yelled, pulling out a bundle of dynamite. Instead of throwing them at Tsunayoshi however, the dynamites fell into a pile at his feet. He cursed as he struggled to clean up the mess.

The Decimo ran forward to save the Smoking Bomb from his own attack. At that moment, the assassins hiding in the trees steadied the blowdart.

The perfect window.

Two bullets. Two bodies. Two young men safe. For now.

What with the commotion in the duel, the two boys didn't notice two bodies falling from the tree and into the bushes. He turned on his microphone. "I'm done."

The Arcobaleno below smirked, "Excellent, I'm expecting the bodies to disappear-?"

"Already taken care of." A few local cleaners, slipped over the gate, dressed as custodians. They pulled the caps low on their faces and threw the bodies into trashcans. Soon, they quietly rolled away the remains.

He hardly noticed the disdain in Reborn's voice. "These idiots actually know what they're doing? Color me impressed."

"Thank you. I…" He paused. Then replayed the phrase in his mind. "Was that sarcasm?"

"What do you think?"

"…Are you asking me a trick question, Reborn?" The hit man snorted.

"You're a complete simpleton, Baka-Rei. How am I supposed to have any fun if you don't catch onto anything I say?" He sounded so upset that Reine felt strangely guilty. "I suppose my no-good student will have to do."

"…Should I apologize for not being affronted?"

This time Reborn smacked his hand against his forehead. "Just go clean up already. Honestly, you're just as hopeless as Dame-Tsuna." And with that, the baby turned away to speak to his student.

Reine was trying. Truly. He had always been rather…slow when it came to these things. Much to his own embarrassment. He sighed, turning his attention to his half-naked ward on the ground. He was trying to stop Gokudera Hayato from killing their upperclassmen.

Sawada Tsunayoshi, Reine quickly found, was a strange one. He opened his journal to record the latest development.

_Today, the Decimo saved the Smoking Bomb from serious injury. How strange that instead of trying to defeat Gokudera Hayato, his purpose was to protect them both. It could be a ploy to induct the assassin into his ranks by incurring a life debt. _

_Or it could be that Sawada Tsunayoshi genuinely wanted to help him. Whatever the reason, it seems effective. But how did he know sparing his assailant's life would lead to loyalty? _

Tsunayoshi was weak, clumsy and his mental acuity, if being measured by his grades, was feeble at best. But he always turned his head to the places Reine always hid, his eyes suspicious as if he knew someone was there. But how could someone as inexperienced as Tsunayoshi sense him? Reine wished he could meet his ward and ask.

But because Reborn was in charge, Reine was ordered to conduct perimeter checks and safety measures only, no contact with the subject. He wanted Reine to be his trump card for assassins. He was to stay out of sight and await orders.

So he stayed out of sight, watching and following the children back to school by crawling back through the vents. As he moved towards Tsunayoshi's classroom, he happened to see a strange commotion below.

"I-It's H-Hibari-san!"

"Shhh, don't speak so loudly!"

"Don't look him in the eyes…don't look him in the eyes…"

Despite the thick crowd in the corridors, students stepped aside for someone to pass. Some even crawled outside to hang on the windows to make room. Hibari Kyoya. The Disciplinary Chair of Namimori Middle and the single most feared individual in the entire prefecture.

"You herbivores are crowding." The atmosphere around the prefect darkened considerably. Even Reine felt slightly intimidated. His eyes flashed and he pulled out (from nowhere) a pair of tonfas. "I'll bite you all to death."

And the screaming started.

Reine wondered if he should intervene. After a second of thought, he decided that it was in his best interest to remain hidden. He instead, chose flip to a section in his journal titled, _Analyses of Sociological Behaviors of Humans and Experimental Applications, _and wrote.

_Despite only walking through the hall, students appear to be frightened by his presence alone. Certainly the so-called, Demon of Namimori does exude a particular aura that indeed scares away any potential rivals to power. But how this aura works has yet to be determined. Perhaps it is his killing intent, which somehow makes itself known to the rather ignorant population. Combined with a history of violence and conveying his irritation through body language and facial expressions, they are repelled by his presence. _

_Perhaps - if replicable - this would be a viable repellent against Sawada Iemitsu. _

It wasn't long before Hibari Kyoya finished 'biting herbivores to death' (strange phrase) and left. He used this moment to escape. Nothing new to be found, he decided to continue his daily routine of observing 'normal' people walk in their natural habitat — the park.

…

* * *

…

"How are you, my darling little son?" the CEDEF leader cooed, leaning in far closer than necessary to the camera.

Reine needed to remove Iemitsu from the camera so he could report his progress to someone else - preferably Basil. He straightened in his seat, looked down at the man, and scowled. "Get off the camera or I'll bite you to death."

"W-what?" The man looked shocked. Then he stretched his lips into that 'no-good' smile. "Did you meet a girl over there? Are you...experimenting?" Well, he had met many women here when he conducted surveys amongst the population. "Aw, my man is finally growing up! My little boy is now a big man! Who is she? Is she cute? Does she look like Maman? Who's going to be attached to my little duck?"

"What was that boss?" A bespectacled woman with pinkish tinted hair interrupted him and appeared on screen. "Is this true Reine? You've got a girlfriend?" He supposed that was true. Oregano was both female and his acquaintance.

Another man, Turmeric, peered into the camera as well, "Girlfriend? What's this I hear? Really?" Soon enough, there was small crowd forming around the computer. Why they were here and not carrying out their duties was beyond him.

The CEDEF boss appeared very smug. "That's right, my cute older son's gotten a girlfriend. She's so beautiful (not as beautiful as my Nana) but wonderful! And Rei-chan's introducing me to her next week - isn't that right Rei-?"

He slammed his laptop shut. Pulling out his notebook in his pocket and added another entry.

_While the Hibari Maneuver has a 95% success rate here amongst the inhabitants of Namimori, it proves ineffective against Sawada Iemitsu. Trial #128 was an abysmal failure._

_Iemitsu along with other members of CEDEF asked whether I have had a 'girlfriend'. Whilst I explained that I do have acquaintances of the opposite sex, they argue that a 'girlfriend' isn't the same. I suspect they want me to find a sexual partner rather than a friend. _

_Vongola Ninth once told me that it was because I was of marriageable age that Iemitsu wishes for me to find a partner. When I am contact with Vongola Ninth once more, I shall ask if I can register for marriage ineligibility. _

…

* * *

_…_

_Tsunayoshi did something strange again today. _

Reine had been hiding in the vents of the boxing club's room. Today was the day Tsunayoshi and Ryohei were set to duel in the boxing ring. Reborn wanted to induct Sasegawa Ryohei into his ranks and he told Reine that the best way to do it was to have Tsunayoshi defeat the boxer in a duel.

Reine wondered if this was an excuse to shoot _both_ teenagers with Dying Will bullets. That and Reborn seemed to enjoy wearing that boxer costume.

Ryohei, ever oblivious, immediately exclaimed, "Hey there, Sawada! You're so popular that even an elder of Thai Boxing came all the way from Thai to see you. Meet Master Pao Pao!" Reine came up with that name.

Reine was not very good at making names.

It seemed that no one (other than Tsunayoshi) had been able to tell that it was Reborn in a boxing outfit. Even though it was painfully obvious. Strange.

Again, Tsunayoshi tried to protest from fighting. Again, he was shot by the Dying Will bullet. And again, Reine would have to replace another uniform. "REFUSE TO JOIN THE BOXING CLUB WITH MY DYING WILL!"

"Oh, I like that extreme spirt! JOIN THE BOXING CLUB, SAWADA!" Ryohei bellowed back. Reine pulled out his headset, his ears ringing. Why had he bothered wearing it?

The fight dragged on. Before long, the young Decimo punched the boxer out of the ring. The moment he did however, Sasegawa Ryohei became even more excited. Such resilience. It was amazing what the human body could withstand. Or Ryohei was just unique. He would have to look into it later.

Soon enough, the one named Kurokawa Hana ran in, proclaiming that Sasegawa Kyoko was in danger. In a few minutes, a number of men and teenaged boys appeared, carrying a flag that said 'Namimori Karate Club.' They wanted recruit Miss Sasegawa because of something about delicate flowers and gorilla men. He didn't really care to remember.

What Reine cared about, was testing the new paint bullets he received in his latest care package.

From the ensuing assault (if such a sloppy formation could be called that): red caused rashes, blue acted like tear gas, green was paralysis, yellow was simply a rubber bullet. Useful enough, he supposed. Overall, there was nothing particularly abnormal about the assault. What was abnormal today, was Tsunayoshi.

_Despite having little to no combat training, Tsunayoshi managed to knock down the karate club's captain. The captain was a black belt with several regional medals to his name. He was twice as heavy as Tsunayoshi and several centimeters taller. It should have been impossible for someone as inexperienced as the Vongola Decimo to knock him down. _

_But somehow, he managed to hit his opponent directly on the jaw, striking a critical nerve, and hit with enough force to snap the captain's head to the side, causing a blackout. _

Intuition? Luck? Reborn's training? But they didn't start combat training yet… He stared at Tsunayoshi, who was speaking shyly to Sasegawa Kyoko. "A-are you okay, K-Kyoko-san?"

She blushed. "Ah…yes. Thanks a lot, Tsuna-kun."

Then Sasegawa Ryohei cut into the conversation, slapping Tsunayoshi on the back, "That was an extreme punch, Sawada! Good job!"

His young ward's smile deflated slightly, "Oh um…th-thanks Sasegawa-san—"

"Go ahead and call me onii-san! You extremely saved Kyoko-chan, you might as well be family!"

Tsunayoshi seemed surprised, but took it in stride. "O-okay then, Sase—, onii-san."

"That's the spirit!"

Maybe…Reine could see why everyone put such faith in Tsunayoshi.

"Decimo's extreme punch…" he muttered aloud thoughtfully. Then an idea formed in his head.

…

* * *

…

This time, Reine mailed his report. Today, he received a reply as well as a care package. He hoped Lal Mirch sent it. Or Basil. Or anyone rational.

His expectations dropped the moment he opened it. The box opened with a loud pop and burst with confetti. He knelt down, pulling out a small black suitcase placed carefully inside the package and opened it. It was filled with small square packages.

Condoms.

A small screen set on the back of the suitcase flickered on. It showed the external advisor smiling on the screen. Reine noted with satisfaction that he had a black eye.

"Now, now Papa knows that as a young adult you're very irritable! So I took the courtesy of providing all the necessary material." He took out an ice pack, rubbing his face, "I know all you young men are all shy about your love lives, but Papa understands, he really does!"

No, he did not understand.

"But remember, you can always talk to me when you're worried! You and Tsuna both!"

The words would have more impact if they were true.

"So have fun making lots love! I want to hear about your engagement by the end of the-" He slammed the briefcase shut. He searched the package for more, thoroughly checking its contents. He only found the automated punching glove he packed with his report - broken beyond repair.

He took out his notebook, and recorded the results once more.

_The 'Decimo Extreme Punch' method has failed. Despite the report containing an explicit warning for Iemitsu to pass my report to someone else, Iemitsu tried opening it. He then filled the return package with fornicating devices I have no interest in using. Sexual reproduction has already been covered in my formal education - yet Iemitsu continues to discuss it with appalling persistence. _

_The fist appears to have made contact with Iemitsu's face but, failed in stunning the man with the sedative laced in the material. The next trial may require a stronger concentration. _

Closing the book, his eyes returned to the black case. Such an inordinate amount was unnecessary. And disturbing. He pulled out his phone, "Reborn, do you have any spare explosives?"

He felt slightly guilty for using Gokudera's dynamite, but he was far more satisfied watching the package burn.

…

* * *

…

Reine didn't understand people.

"Don't ever come back, you freak!" the manager hissed as he pushed Reine out onto the street. Dusting off his jacket, he turned around to see the man who had been inappropriately touching the waitress be pampered by the manager.

From his observations, as far back as in the mafia, a woman is justified in using aggressive force when someone touches her in a manner she deems inappropriate. When she is unable to remove the offender, anyone in the vicinity is obligated to aid her. The woman had many blunt instruments at her disposal. She did nothing. She complained to her manager and co-workers. They did nothing. She cried out in distress when the man pulled her into his lap and groped her. No one did anything.

Lal Mirch had always said that he was supposed to help people in trouble. Not stand and watch like an idiot. Following her words, he stood up and poured his tea over the offender. Then he lifted the man to his feet and slapped him. Thirteen times consecutively, just as she taught him.

He was on the tenth slap when the manager removed him from the premises. The waitress refused to look at him. Everyone whispered to each other and shot him fearful glances.

So now he was outside, sitting on a bench and writing furiously.

_Despite following normal protocol to it seems that I have still 'failed'. As indicated by a previous encounter, a direct confrontation in a 'social' situation produces unfavorable results ranging from gossip to removal from the premises._

_So far in my studies, I have noted that in Namimori particularly, the policy of 'watching and waiting' is paramount. People who see such disturbances tend to walk away and overlook it or simply watch and record it. Unlike the mafia world, this appears to be completely acceptable._

His therapists said that writing was a healthy form of stress relief. Yet he remained wholly irritated.

It was strange. People tended to praise those who intervened on someone else's behalf. Did he do something wrong? Maybe if he observed something similar in the park he'd understand.

He got up to leave for the park when an arm pulled him into an alley. Out of reflex, he put his hand on his gun and pulled it out of its holster. He was about to break the arm that grabbed him when he realized who it was. He immediately dropped the gun back into its case.

The waitress apparently hadn't noticed the gun or the danger she just put herself in. She looking around them, suspicious and almost fearful. Then she relaxed and smiled at him. "Sorry for pulling you away like this…But I'm really grateful. For you helping me back there— thank you."

"I only did what I was taught to do," he said dismissively. Then he narrowed his eyes at her. "Why did you do nothing?"

"W-what?"

"You don't seem sick. Your grip is strong. You're not weak, so why didn't you fight back?"

"Fight back…?" she echoed faintly.

"When someone is hurting you, it only makes sense to defend yourself. Why didn't you call the authorities if you could not fight for yourself?"

She flinched at his words and said in a low voice, "D-Didn't you know who that man was?"

"He's the man who hurt you."

"If it were that simple…" Her expression turned sad. "You see, fighting back isn't an option for me. That man is stronger and scarier than me. He could have…done something a lot worse to me if I did resist."

He frowned. "So why not get rid of him?"

She blinked at him. "You're not suggesting…?" She shook her head furiously, "That's—! N-no, I can't! When it comes to dealing with bad people like them, I just try to stay out of it. Yakuza men are dangerous and you should stay away from them too. Don't you know what they could do to you? They could really hurt you if you interfere like that."

"I'm won't get hurt. I'm stronger than them." And he said that not out of arrogance but pure, plain fact.

But she kept shaking her head. "Well, if you're strong, what about everyone else? Please, don't be so rash again. Especially when you're dealing with yakuza. Just…keep your head down, okay?"

"…So if someone is doing something wrong I should do nothing?"

"No…no that's not what I meant I just…Just be careful when you do these things, okay?" She ran a hand through her hair and groaned. "Great, I was supposed to be thanking you and now I'm acting all mean towards you instead…I appreciate the help. Really." She shuffled her feet awkwardly. "I have to go back to work now. Bye and…thanks again." She waved goodbye and walked away.

He watched her go. He still didn't understand what she meant. But whatever he could understand from their conversation was dropped when he heard her scream.

He didn't think, simply running towards the sound. He stopped just short of the area where he heard the waitress…He peered around the corner to see the same man from the restaurant. He was hovering over her with several other men. She was crying, while the man pulled at her hair and kicked her.

"Stop, please!" she screamed, but he laughed at her as she cried.

"So, bitch, who was that - your boyfriend?" he sneered, before snapping his fingers. One of the men took out a camera, "Guess he'll really love it if I evidence of all the things I'm going to do to you…" he trailed off and the woman whimpered and pleaded as the man advanced towards her.

Reine stepped forward. "I don't appreciate receiving vulgar material in my mail. I will decline your offer of evidence." He walked out from his spot behind the wall and aimed his pistol at the yakuza's head. The man stopped attempting to unbutton the woman's blouse to look at him.

"Oh-ho, so it's the man of the hour himself!" the man said, sneering at him.

Reine repeated himself, ignoring the others circling him. "I don't wish to fight. Please leave the woman be and leave."

The man didn't listen, only lighting a cigarette and puffing smoke in his direction. Reine crinkled his nose. His eyes drifted to the man's shirt, which still had tea leaves on it. As if noticing his gaze, the man pulled aside his coat, showcasing the stain as well as the gun underneath. "Well, well, sweetheart, I can't exactly do that. Look at the big ol' stain you made on my shirt? And somebody's gotta pay for it."

"Then I will. Allow her to leave." No one listened. The men made a circle around him, removing knives and cracking their knuckles.

The leader jeered at him, "And how are you going to make me, boy?" He stepped forward, pulling out his pistol and coming close. "Look at you, completely surrounded. You think you're in a position to bargain with me?" He gestured for the men to grab Reine. "'Sides I have a much more interesting plan in mind. How about—I beat the shit out of you for disgracing me and then I drag your corpse through the streets? I'll make sure the lovely lady sees it too." He snickered as the woman pleaded and begged for the leader to make the men stop.

"Run!" she screamed at Reine, "Just go while you still can—-ah!" The leader stepped on her chest and she wheezed.

Reine didn't run but closed his eyes. The men jeered. "Giving up already?"

"Booring, I was looking forward to seeing him try. Would have been a good laugh."

"A fight with those scrawny little arms? I bet he wouldn't even lay a scratch on us-!" He stopped, choking on his words. The first man didn't know he had died until he touched his throat.

One.

They were all surprised. One of them cursed. "What the fuck—" He shot that man along with his neighbors.

Two, three, four.

He punched one man in the throat, taking his knife as he was stunned. Reine then shoved the knife into the man's jugular.

Five.

The other two tried to run away. He shot them both before they could.

Six. Seven.

"W-who…Who the fuck are you?!" All that was left was the leader. He was shaking. For each step Reine took, he stepped back. "S-Stay the fuck away from me!" He tried to shoot. Too slow. The shot went wide as Reine came in close, slapping the gun away from his face as it went off. Then he twisted the man's arm, shoving the barrel under the man's jaw. "N-no…stop—!"

Reine didn't hesitate. The shot echoed through the alley.

Eight.

He should have released the body .05 seconds after applying pressure to the trigger. Some of the blood ended up splattering on his cheek and shirt. Utterly disgusting.

After wiping away the blood, he looked for the woman who had been in danger. He saw her struggling to pull herself up. He walked over, wanting to help, but she shoved him away. "G-get away, d-don't touch me!" she screamed, tears in her eyes. She was scared of him.

Reine just stood there, watching in confusion, as she ran away. He only started moving again when he heard sirens in the distance.

Reine just didn't understand people.

* * *

**A/N: So...Hate/Love/Continue/Burn it with fire and hope it never sees the light of day ever again? Leave a review to let me know if you don't mind. **


	2. Chapter 2

Reine was working again. He had disposed of fifteen assassins that had been chasing not only Sawada Tsunayoshi, but also his new famiglia members. They were becoming rather creative. Spiking the boys' drinks, filling the desks with poison, even trying to embed knives into the toilets.

Today was the sixty seventh attempt. Today was also bear trap day. The matter was incredibly sloppy — even more so than usual.

The bear traps were scattered haphazardly through the street, a ridiculous amount filling up the road. How did anyone leave their homes unscathed? And for that matter, how had no one noticed them?

But seeing as this pile was uncomfortably close to Tsunayoshi's home, he had no choice but to clean them up as soon as possible.

The matter was so tedious…and it was made even more irritating when the neighbor's chihuahua, Pochi, decided to squeeze through its gate to pester him. It kept barking at him, and nipping at his heels. "I don't have food, go to home to your owner," he ordered.

The dog barked, sitting and tilting its head at him.

"I have no time to play with you. Go away." He made a shooing motion towards the gate.

It jumped up to lick his fingers.

"You are irritating. Go home. Now."

It didn't. Instead, the dog jumped into his lap and laid down, yawning in a way that could almost be called endearing. He found his hand moving to pat its head and immediately jerked it back. "My lap is not a pillow." It snuggled into his legs and ignored him. "Just because I find you mildly charming does not mean you may sleep on me while I am working."

It sat up and looked at him with big black eyes.

"No."

Pochi tilted its head at him.

"No."

Then the dog whined at him, staring up at him with watery eyes.

Reine's lips thinned into a line. He sighed. "If I feed you, will you leave me be?" The dog cheered up immediately, getting off his lap to run in excited circles.

Reine took a moment to think of what just happened. He spoke to a dog, had an argument with the dog, and then lost. Resigned, he picked up the small canine, cradling it in his arms. "You are troublesome." It sounded as if the thing was snickering at him.

"I…don't know how to care for pets." He once had a rabbit when he first came to the Vongola, but it disappeared soon after he had been inducted into the ranks. It had been so long, he had forgotten what it felt like.

The dog barked at him again and licked his chin. "…Very well. Then I will…I will try." There was something strangely soothing talking to Pochi, even if it couldn't understand. Then he remembered an article he read…something about dogs being good for mental therapy. Maybe if he started taking care of the dog more, it would work for him as well?

He did have this bad habit of forgetting things.

When he woke up with the Vongola, he couldn't remember anything aside from his name So he took to wrote things down so he wouldn't forget again. But it didn't always work… Speaking of which, how long had he been out here? He must have forgotten the time. Again. He checked his watch. When did Tsunayoshi return from school again?

"H-Hieeeeeeeeee!" The familiar wail made Reine freeze. He barely managed to evade his young ward barreling down the road. Out of sheer reflex, he jumped. Over the fence. Into some faceless home in Namimori. Not the smartest choice.

"Ow…Reborn, what the hell?! Why did you make me crash?!" Tsunayoshi. A close call. Far too close to be comfortable.

"A mafia boss ought to have better reflexes. But Dame-Tsuna can't even steer a bicycle. Guess we'll have to start with square one." The Arcobaleno seemed amused. The entire incident began to feel less than coincidental.

"I only crashed because you shoved me at the last second!" Tsunayoshi protested loudly. "Why are there bear traps all over the place anyway? And you nearly made me run over someone!" Reine flinched. So he was seen… _I'm sorry, Reborn, I seem to have failed you. _"I think he fell in there, we have to-! …H-Hibari-san?"

"Why are you herbivores crowding here?"

…He hardly heard the Demon Chair approach. Was it wrong to feel relieved that someone came to distract Tsunayoshi in a way that most likely led to pain? Ah, well his young ward wouldn't be severely beaten. Only moderately.

"For disturbing the peace, I'll bite you to death." Tsunayoshi's subsequent shrieks made him cringe. He didn't need a microphone to hear what was happening. From past observations of the Hibari Manuever, people froze, then shrieked when he attacked, then ran in the other direction in a futile attempt to escape.

He waited until the shrieks died down. After the sound was reduced to a tolerable volume, he peeked over the wall. The street was clear. He was about to climb over the wall when he realized he had something in his arms. He looked down. The dog barked at him.

…

He must have accidentally taken the dog with him when he jumped.

Pochi hadn't barked at all. How lucky. Why did Tsunayoshi find it scary again? Was he supposed to get rid of it? "Thank you for not barking." The dog licked his chin.

"But this doesn't mean I appreciate your distractions. I was very nearly caught."

The dog whined.

Reine sighed.

He was about to take his leave when the backyard door opened. "And now, intruders will be punished." It was the only warning he received before a tonfa came towards his face. He managed to dodge by a hair's breadth. The Disciplinary Chair returned quicker than expected. But how…?

"I wasn't aware that the herbivore had siblings," the prefect continued. "Herbivores who fail to control their young deserve punishment."

"We're not siblings," Reine said immediately.

"Hn." The teenager seemed almost bored by his words.

Then without further warning, he lunged. Reine jumped backwards, watching as the metal flashed before his eyes. And grow spikes. He blinked.

Were these weapons legal?

…Then again Reine carried more than his share of dubious weaponry, perhaps he shouldn't protest.

Blow after blow rained down on him. He was forced to dodge and flip his way through the spacious yard. He should have paid more attention to where he had landed. To find that he had ended up in the home of Kusakabe Tetsuya, a sub-base for Namimori's Disciplinary Committee was unpleasant.

"Stop running, herbivore," Hibari hissed, as Reine continued to dodge. He sidestepped the oncoming spiked tonfas, leaning back as Hibari charged forward. Reine twirled away from the weapons and stuck out his leg, tripping the younger man.

Instead of falling to the ground, the Disciplinary Chair let himself trip and used his other leg to spin his body back into a proper stance. The friction against the ground left behind dust trails as The Demon of Namimori slid back on the ground. When he looked back up again, his eyes shined brighter and he bared his teeth in a vicious grin.

Hibari Kyoya was someone to be feared. Continuing to run, Reine's back soon hit the wall. The Disciplinary Chair smirked, one arm pulled back to barrel steel into his opponent's head.

At the last second, a gun scraped past the incoming tonfa — shoving it out of its intended destination.

…Even when faced with the barrel of loaded gun, Hibari still found a reason to smile — if such an expression could be called such. "Who are you, herbivore?" Reine had his gun pressed against the teen's forehead. His other hand held back the prefect's other arm, the tonfa aimed to strike his stomach.

However, the teenager had his other tonfa placed against Reine's cheek. Were such spiked weapons legal?

"No one." He could feel Hibari tense. The Disciplinary Chair was quite prepared to beat the answer out of him. Reine didn't give him the chance. Shoving the prefect away, he ran full speed towards the adjacent wall, jumping over at the last second. He certainly hoped the Disciplinary Committee would return Pochi to his home…Bribery for dropping theft charges was a most tedious affair.

He was forced to sweep past other pedestrians and avoid the wary eyes of the Vongola Decimo's family. But even scaling buildings, jumping from rooftops, and sliding down walls was not enough to deter the teenager from chasing him. Hibari Kyoya was…inconveniently persistent. Before long, Reine found himself cornered, having nowhere to go but the old shrine at the edge of Namimori.

He had no choice but to confront the prefect here. Turning on his heel, he watched as the dark-haired youth approached. Diplomacy was not his strongest tactic, but he tried again nonetheless. "There are many others willing to fight you. Why have you followed me so far?"

"Those who disturb the peace must be punished." Hibari brandished his tonfas and glared, "You will fight me."

Diplomacy was difficult.

The teenager charged at him. The killing aura was almost palpable. An ordinary person would have buckled under the pressure. But Reine was not ordinary. And as much as he wished otherwise, today he could not be 'normal'. He removed the rifle on his shoulder, pulling off a slender metal cylinder at the top. He let the flames wrap around his fingers. The chair's eyes widened at the sight. "You cannot win against me the way you are now, Hibari Kyoya." And he said this not as a statement of arrogance - it was fact.

…

…

_After defeating Hibari Kyoya, the Disciplinary Chair seems intent on following me and forcing me in battle. He refuses to accept any weapon besides the bow in battle and threatens to reveal my presence to Sawada Tsunayoshi. I am also not allowed to eliminate the Vongola Decimo's family members. _

_So now, I have become - as dubbed by Reborn - a sparring dummy. It is with regret that I am unable to avoid confrontation. Despite the secret tunnels to conceal my presence, something has drawn Hibari Kyoya to every hiding place. Hibari Kyoya says my scent as an omnivore is easy to detect. I have bathed regularly with no aromatic soap or detergent. I have also adopted a vegetarian diet. But Hibari Kyoya continues to find me without fail._

_As several other civilians of Namimori have displayed, it is apparently quite normal to initiate the activity of 'stalking' after a lost battle. Apparently the damage in one's pride or social standing pushes the loser to feverishly pursue the winner. While these results are not beneficial to Iemitsu repellent development, it is prudent to remember I should not attempt to defeat or allow life for any undesirable in battle to avoid increasing the number of stalkers following me._

_One is quite enough._

…

…

Reine was hiding. A bush was not the best hiding place. But it was better than walking in the open street. Reborn had dismissed him early today. He would have used the extra time to continue his research, but it was rather difficult to collect info with the Disciplinary Chair disturbing his sample groups.

Each time he stopped to observe, the prefect seemed to find him.

He didn't know how to deal with stalkers…

Then again, it was almost a welcome distraction. He was unsure how to cope with so much free time. His daily schedule consisted of protecting Tsunayoshi and following whatever orders Reborn laid out for him. Now that he was idle…he almost wasn't sure how to proceed. He outlined his free hours — and now it was completely off-track with Hibari Kyoya.

He couldn't hide in the bushes forever. At one point the prefect would find him. He needed to plan and adjust somehow. A stray dog strutted over to the bush he hid in, barking wildly and tugging at the branches.

"Leave the bush alone, Hoshi-chan…"

"Mommy, why is Hoshi making so much noise?"

"Oh my god that dog is like the cutest thing ever!"

"What's going on?"

"So I just went to this really good chicken place…"

"Ugh, I hate waiting in line—"

He needed _a quiet place _to plan and adjust. His eyes flickered to the back of the crowd. He thought he could see the pointy black hair of a disciplinary committee member. He stayed here long enough. Quickly, he ducked behind a large group of pedestrians and slid into the nearest, least crowded store to hide. A restaurant of some sorts.

He didn't pay it much mind, only sliding down into a nearby booth. Perhaps if he waited here long enough, the Disciplinary Committee would finally grow tired, go back to school, and leave him in peace. He put his head down on the table to close his eyes…just for a moment…

"Hey sir, we're closed right now!" His eyes snapped open. He looked up to see a man wearing a white chef's uniform, presumably the owner, standing over him.

Reine scrambled to stand and apologize. "I…I'm sorry for the trouble." Reine bowed slightly. "But I am in need of a place to hide…" His eyes wandered to the window. He saw a committee member glance in his direction. He resisted the urge to hide under the table and settled for trying to hide his face with his hands.

The owner looked at him. Then out the window. Then back at him. The man shook his head. "On second thought, feel free to stay. If those kids are tracking you down, chances are you'll need the break." And as an afterthought, the man added, "Besides, you look as if you're going to drop dead at any moment."

"Thank you," Reine sighed, dropping back into the booth.

"Oi, Takano! Get the tea out, we're taking a lunch break!"

"Sure thing boss!" said Takano, whoever that person was. Reine didn't care. He laid his head back down on the table and was tempted to fall asleep. But then the owner started talking to him.

"Hey, you like sushi little mister?"

Reine looked up. "What?"

The man just smiled. "Oi, Takano — get out a few rolls and plums! Let's have a little party for our guest here!"

"Got it, boss!" Reine could hear the other man moving about in the kitchen. He wondered why the owner had allowed him to stay. And the man's face...it seemed familiar, yet he couldn't place where he had seen it. Takesushi? Take…Take…Take…

He opened his book and flipped through the pages, wondering where in the world he had seen this man's face. "It's rude to read like that without talking you know." Reine flinched at the elder man's expression. He seemed incredibly offended. Then it cleared up. "Hah! No need to make that face, I'm just joking. Yamamoto Tsuyoshi," he said, sticking out his hand, "And you're…?" Oh. So that's why the man had seemed familiar. Yamamoto Takeshi's father… this would not end well.

He hesitantly took the other man's hand. He was supposed to grab this and shake it like the Ninth showed him. "I'm…no one."

The man raised an eyebrow, "Well you have to be someone, Mr. No one. Though if you don't want to say that's fine. I'm not sure if I even want to know why you've got those Nami-chuu kids running after you, but you look like you could take a break. Not been sleeping well?" he gestured to Reine. Did he look tired? He wasn't. Really.

He touched the bandage on his cheek, a mark left from spiked tonfas. "I suppose my health has not been…satisfactory as of late."

"Satisfactory? Such big words. You're a funny guy!"

Had he said the wrong thing again? He...he wasn't ever good at small talk. When there were formal occasions he was forced to attend with the Vongola Ninth, he had always stayed silent or…scared them. What did that book say to do again? His fingers twitched for the 'Small Talk for Dummies' Reborn had given him in his pocket. When the man stopped laughing and things got quiet he tried to follow the steps.

Step 1: Introduce yourself! Be sure to show that you're interested in the conversation and keep the topic light and easy. Warning: Avoid topics like religion, politics and the weather.

"Um…the weather is nice today?"

Tsuyoshi raised a brow, "Really? I'm not fond of cloudy days, makes customers and me, sleepy."

...Reine didn't know what to say to that.

Step 2: Look for common interests to set a common ground! Make sure to be attentive and listening to what the person has to say. Engage the person!

"..."

"..."

Reine coughed. "Um...how is your son?"

The man looked at him suspiciously, "How did you know I have a son?"

He floundered but a second before his eyes latched onto some form of salvation. "There's a picture of you and a young man over there on the wall." He pointed at the picture behind the man.

Yamamoto Takeshi's father immediately relaxed and the man was laughing, "Oh, you have good eyes. Yeah, that's my son, he's a great baseball player, real devoted. Not so great at the cooking though…" The man cringed at some old memory.

"...I see."

"..."

"..."

Step 3: Leave behind a good finish. When you go, make sure you let the person know that you were genuinely interested and enjoyed the conversation.

He stood up and looked at the clock. "I must be going." It was almost three, Yamamoto Takeshi could be back at any moment.

The man stood up too, grabbing his shoulder, "Oh? But the tea hasn't even come out yet! And you've got try out these plums, Mrs. Kanda always has the best fruit." Reine hesitated. The man looked rather disappointed that he was leaving. "Come on, it's no trouble. Nothing wrong with taking a breather every once in a while." Perhaps he had been a bit too forward? "Okay." He reluctantly sat back down.

…

He couldn't remember the other steps. Start again from Step 1? 2? What should he do…? "Yo, boss here they are!" The man named Takano came out of the kitchen placing a tray of tea and another with a plate of sushi and a bowl of sliced plums.

Reine shifted over so that the Takano man could sit. But he didn't need to, the Takano man turned to his boss, "I gotta step out for a bit, Pochi's been a bit antsy and needs to go to the vet today."

"Oh, sure! Go on ahead!" He waved the Takano man off and the two of them watched the employee leave. Pochi...he certainly hoped that he hadn't been the cause.

He flinched when he felt something cold press against his cheek. "Here, try one!" Yamamoto Tsuyoshi smiled even brighter when he took the plum from the man's hand.

"…It's good." He was a bit surprised.

The elder man laughed at him, "You look like you've never had plums before, boy do I wish I had a camera…" When Reine didn't protest and just stared at him with the same blank expression, the man's big smile turned into incredulity. "R-really? You've never had plums before?"

"No."

Reine continued eating. The elder Yamamoto shook his head. Should he have researched the fundamentals of food before he got here? He was not allowed to eat many things when he was sick. He supposed it hadn't occurred to him to eat anything aside from what was given.

"Well we're going to have to change that, aren't we?" the old man said, giving Reine the thumbs up after passing the sushi to the young man. It was surprisingly good. Italy didn't exactly serve raw fish. And he had no desire to procure parasites trying it — no matter the research. The elder Yamamoto gave him the thumbs up. "It's good right?"

"...Yes - thank you." Reine nodded deferentially to the Yamamoto elder.

"No problem, go ahead and dig in - it's on the house!" Then, the man ruffled his hair. As if realizing what he just did, Tsuyoshi pulled back. "…Sorry! Haha, guess this old man can't tell the difference between men and children anymore. But you know…there's something about you that reminds me of Takeshi when he was a kid…"

His eyes took on a misty look. When Takeshi was younger? After watching Tsunayoshi and his friends interact on a daily basis, he was quite sure they were rather different. Then the bell rang and the door swung open.

"Yo, old man, I'm back!" a familiar voice called.

Twisting around in his seat, Tsuyoshi waved to his son. "Speak of the devil, he's here! I'd like you to meet my son…?"

Immediately, before Yamamoto Takeshi could enter and see him, Reine ducked under the table. The man soon stuck his head under the tablecloth to stare at him. "Hey, what's wrong? It's just my son. You know, Takeshi!" Reine curled up, trying to make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible.

"Oh? Are you having someone over?"

Tsuyoshi stood up, "Yep, he seems pretty shy though." The old man knelt down to look at Reine, "C'mon, Takeshi isn't going to bite."

Reine shook his head furiously. Perhaps it was childish and drew more attention but… What would Reborn say? Tsuyoshi sighed, "Well, looks like he doesn't want to come out."

A pause. "Oh? Ahaha, that's fine! I'm going to go hang out at Tsuna's house, that okay with you Dad?"

"Sure, go have fun, Takeshi!"

"See ya!" Yamamoto Takeshi soon left the premises.

The Yamamoto elder knelt down again, tapping him on the shoulder, "Out you go. My big, bad scary son is gone now." Quietly, he pulled himself out from under the table. "Didn't take you for a shy guy, but I guess you learn new things each day."

"I must get going…" Reine said, pulling away and stepping around the owner. "I...I have an appointment to attend." He wanted to leave. The risk of being seen by Tsunayoshi and his family was too high.

"Already? Well, guess it was nice meeting you Mr...you know what? I'll come up with a name for you then - since you don't want to give me yours." The man rubbed his chin in thought, before stopping, "Oh! Wait here, I'll be right back!" Tsuyoshi ran off into the back, rummaging through the kitchen.

"Here we are!" Yamamoto Tsuyoshi came out, carrying a small bag and he passed it to Reine. Looking inside, he found them full with plums. "Seeing as how I had the honor of seeing you with your first plum I'll call you Umeko*!" He patted Reine roughly on the shoulder, "I'll be seeing you, right? Gets a little boring without Takeshi out and about nowadays."

The elder Yamamoto's expression suddenly gave way to something older.

He pondered the statement. He had read that social interaction was paramount in maintaining mental health. Seeing as how Tsuyoshi was Yamamoto Takeshi's father and Sawada Tsunayoshi's famiglia member, he supposed it _was_ his job to care for those that affected the health of the Vongola Decimo and his famiglia. He supposed the man could be inserted in the mission as well. "Okay."

"Great! Heh, I'll show you a bunch of new things when you come back, eh? I look forward to seeing you again, Umeko!" And with that, Reine left, waving goodbye to the sushi chef.

It was only when he returned to his apartment, bag full with the strange little plums that he realized… "Isn't Umeko a female name?"

He supposed it didn't matter - female or male, as long as one had a name. And Yamamoto Takeshi would know nothing of Reine's appearance. What mattered was that he record his findings now that Yamamoto Tsuyoshi was deemed important.

_[Scribbled in the margins of "Small Talk for Dummies"]_

_Step 4: When all else fails, eat plums. Apparently the use of food is rather effective in establishing a common ground as Yamamoto Tsuyoshi has explained to me. Something to do with food - as quoted - touching the heart. I have feared that this would cause a severe medical emergency and have prepared for such an event by equipping TakeSushi with the necessary materials to perform an emergency autopsy and have provided warning signs in case of choking._

_However, when I first arrived with supplies, Tsuyoshi declined and laughed._

_…_

…

The next time Reine was on duty was when Reborn sent Tsunayoshi to the zoo. Though at this moment, Reine wasn't exactly watching Tsunayoshi, so much as making sure Sasegawa Ryohei was not arrested for destroying company property. And for animal abuse. "A true victory is only finished with a man's fists!"

"Young man, step away from the bear!"

"We are extremely not done with our duel yet!" A fire burst into the teenager's eyes. Reine faintly wondered if the young man could wield Dying Will Flames. "Don't interfere in a battle between men!" In technicality, Ryohei was facing a bear. Reine winced when he saw the teen punch the bear sharply across the jaw. For some odd reason, Ryohei found it fit to attempt to wrestle every large animal in the zoo. Including this bear.

And after defeating the bear in a fighting game, the two decided to duel (he didn't know bears could crack their knuckles), resulting in the bear being smashed into the arcade machine.

"C'mon! I know you're better than that, Yogi Bear!" If Reine's memory and records were correct, that bear was actually named Hoshi.

"H-Hoshi! You punched him!" The guards looked shocked. But then one of them removed his taser. "That's it kid, you and Hoshi are both going to…"

The guards didn't have time to react as Reine shot each one with a paralysis bullet. Soon enough, all of them were lying on the ground, unable to move. Ryohei seemed incredibly confused.

"Did everyone decide to take an extreme nap?" the teen said, confused and scratching his head. Then he smacked his fist against his palm, suddenly remembering something. "Where's Kyoko and Sawada? I was extremely left behind!" And in a trail of smoke, the young man went running down to the exit in hopes of catching up to the group of teenagers.

Finding it safe to come out of his hiding place, he walked over to the group of men on the ground. He checked to make sure none of them had concussions from falling over and then pulled them aside into the shade where they were out of the way and out of sight. Was it really necessary to have ten guards appear to subdue a single person? Granted it was Sasegawa Ryohei but still…

After putting them away, he found himself looking upon the rest of the zoo and the amusement park rides strewn about the area. He had never been to a zoo before. There was no time for such things. What was so amusing about riding in a train car across a railway? Or seeing animals trapped in crude cages?

He found himself torn between following Tsunayoshi and approaching the rides himself. Would it be okay? Reborn had said he did well, often indicating his job had been fulfilled for the day but...that could change at any moment. But then again, he would never have an excuse to stray here when it was so far away ever again.

"Hey, I'm lost TO THE EXTREME!" Reine flinched when the boxing club captain ran up to him, nearly running him over. Reine stepped to the side. The teenager subsequently crashed into the bushes where all the guards were. For a second, Reine had been worried that the teenager had hurt himself. But the boxer jumped up, turning around to face him with fiery eyes. "I'm lost!" Clearly.

Then when he looked around him, his words changed to, "Did you K.O. these guys?!" he yelled at a volume that was louder than necessary.

Well.

This was bad.

He was not meant to be in contact with Tsunayoshi's family members. Had his senses been slipping? He began backing away, trying to avoid the question but the boxer stepped in so close that Reine found himself at a loss as to what to do. "Join the boxing club, Sawada's onii-san!"

...Older brother? But…But… "I'm not his—"

"If you join then Sawada will definitely join!" Then he paused, "We should go see him right now!" What? What is-?

Immediately he ripped his hand out of the teen's grasp and ran for it. It was all he could think of. He sprinted away, dodging past people and employees alike. Turning around, he could still see the boxer chasing him, as if his attempted escape only made him faster. "Please...stop following me!" he said, trying to get Sasegawa Ryohei to leave him alone. He was almost as clingy as Iemitsu. Terrifying.

"I extremely refuse! Extreme to the EXTREME RUN!" Much to Reine's horror, he found that the teenager had suddenly gained a sudden burst of speed. No matter how far or how fast he ran, the teenager seemed to be hot on his heels.

He flicked on his radio, "Reborn, I am in need of assistance."

It took several moments before the hitman responded. And if anything, he sounded amused. He hadn't…? "Assistance? Of course, Baka-Rei. Enjoy." Enjoy? What did he mean…? He felt something sharp hit the back of his ankle. Turning around he could see Reborn, sniper rifle in hand and a smirk on his face. ..What was Reborn thinking? He fell over, just avoiding the boxer that flew over him - apparently trying to tackle him. "Have fun, Baka-Rei. Take this as a lesson for letting your guard down." The radio flicked off.

...Ah...the Ninth would be disappointed. He clutched his ankle, apparently the bullet was rubber but he was sure that it would bruise later. Looking up, he saw Ryohei had stopped moving. He knelt down next to the teen, "Are you hurt..-!"

"EXTREME!" The teen jumped up, throwing his fists into the air. He then pointed at Reine, screaming, "You're as fast as Sawada! Just as I expected from Sawada's onii-san!"

It seemed like he had no choice but to converse with the fiery teenager. If he let things be Ryohei would most likely report this to Tsunayoshi. As well as anyone within the vicinity of his voice. "...I am not an elder brother. You must be mistaken."

He tried to walk away again, but the boxer latched onto his arm. "You look extremely like Sawada though! Are you sure you're not just a long lost older brother? Are you extremely shy? I will extremely help you get your confidence back!"

"No — no, stop!" The teenager's grip was surprisingly strong. He had to struggle to break free. And everyone was staring…He ought to stop making a fuss. He didn't like everyone staring…

"Don't worry, Sawada's onii-san, I will make you as daring as the great Muguruma*!" Against his will, Reine was dragged away by the enthusiastic teen. When he turned around he could see Reborn from afar, sitting on the shoulder of one Yamamoto Takeshi (how did he get there so quickly?), who was followed by Gokudera Hayato and none other than Sawada Tsunayoshi.

"Onii-san! Where'd you go?!" Tsunayoshi called.

Gokudera scoffed, "Why do we need to find that guy anyways? We'd be perfectly fine without him, tenth!"

"D-Don't say such things, Kyoko-chan would be sad if her brother got lost here."

Yamamoto laughed, "Maa, maa, don't worry Tsuna, I'm sure we'll find him. How hard can senpai be to find?"

Ryohei stiffened. "There they are! Hey-!"

Reborn was testing him. And this was probably one of the worst day to do so. He was not familiar with the area and he didn't understand its social customs… This was bad. So he grabbed Ryohei and threw them both into the bushes, narrowly avoiding the trio. He had to keep his hand down tight on the boxer's mouth, lest a single word give them away.

He could breathe again when Tsunayoshi and his famiglia walked past and let go of Ryohei.

"Are we playing extreme hide-and-seek, Sawada's onii-san?!" Reine put his hand back over the teen's mouth.

"You must not tell Tsunayoshi of my presence here." The boxer looked like he wanted to protest. "…Please." There was a pause, and then the young man stopped struggling. Reine made sure to note that extra politeness equaled cooperation.

Then the white-haired teenager spoke up, "But Sawada would be happy to see you! And we're at the zoo so you can have extreme fun with Sawada! Why don't you go extremely say hello?!"

Reine made sure to take note to bring duct tape with him at all times. Ryohei's voice was far too loud to speak comfortably in public. "I...You don't understand I've never been...I can't meet Tsunayoshi."

For a second, Reine saw something far more calculating. It was odd, to see the impulsive teenager wear that thoughtful expression. Then understanding dawned on his face. "I will take my leave…" He stood up, edging away from the boxer again.

"You've never been to the zoo before?!"

It seemed the boxer had completely ignored his desire to stay away from Tsunayoshi and found something entirely different in his words. "That is not the problem…"

"Is that why you're shy?!" Reine flinched at the close proximity of the teen to his face. His wrist was grabbed again, and he was being dragged to the nearest rollercoaster. "I will extremely help you! And then you won't be shy and you'll meet Sawada again!"

"No…" But Ryohei wasn't listening to him anymore.

"And then you and Sawada can join the boxing club!"

...It always came back to that didn't it?

For the last few hours that the amusement park was open, he was dragged to and fro by Sasegawa Ryohei. At the end, he gave into Ryohei's request and 'joined' the boxing club - on the condition that the boxer would not mention his presence to Tsunayoshi or to anyone else. The boxer appeared reluctant but he agreed, proclaiming that a real man keeps his promise. To the extreme.

…

…

_As of late Sasegawa Ryohei has found it fit to call me his underclassman, despite me being older than him. He seems to be surprised by the fact that I am five years older. He also proclaims that I should drink more milk in order to become taller. I have pointed out to him that I am in fact, taller than him by several inches, but he continues to protest that I should at least be the height of the seniors in high school._

_It appears that height correlates to age. At least for Sasegawa Ryohei.. Because I have yet to reach the height of his seniors and also due to my ignorance of social customs, he has declared me as his younger brother or Otouto. It appears that such a title befalls anyone lacking in experience just as much as anyone lacking in age. At least, for Sasegawa Ryohei. _

_The question of whether Sasegawa Ryohei is a source of information has yet to be answered. It should be taken into account any results coming from Sasegawa Ryohei should be placed under extreme suspicion until cleared by more 'normal' individuals._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Disappeared for a while. Going to disappear again for a month. Because I'm a jerk. Had writer's block, decided to update. A big thanks to those of you who reviewed while I was away. I'm grateful. Really. NOT BEING SARCASTIC HERE JEEZ. But back to the story eh? **

**Warnings: OCs (OH GOD BURN IT), OOC mebbe, probably. People. Writing. Words. Too many words. **

**Disclaimer: I disclaim things. No KHR for moi. Nah. **

* * *

...

**Chapter 3**

Reine was hiding in the rafters. They didn't clean the rafters very well. It was incredibly dusty and filled with cobwebs. It was also discomfiting to see large husks of what used to be insects littered across the beams. He swept away some of the dust, wrinkling his nose when he felt something crack under his fingers.

He needed a shower. But he couldn't leave until his young ward and friends were done cleaning up the gym.

"Haha, it's such a mess isn't it?" Yamamoto Takeshi was laughing. He was _always_ laughing. Reine felt somewhat unnerved by it actually.

"Dammit, stupid teachers telling the Tenth to clean up their shit!" Gokudera Hayato kicked one of the nets sitting in the corner.

"W-Well, it can't be helped, Gokudera-kun. A-and I made us lose the game anyway…." Tsunayoshi sighed tiredly. His young ward had been doing that a lot lately. Sighs were a sign of negativity. Or something like that. Should he do something? He had heard from Reborn (and overheard from Sawada Nana and the Poison Scorpion) that giving out chocolate and flowers were usually helpful…

"Hey, Dame-Tsuna."

"R-Reborn!"

The hit man appeared from the window, the light shining behind his back. It was timed precisely for dramatic effect, Reine was told. The hit man smirked and Sawada Tsunayoshi paled when he saw that the infant tutor was swinging around a very familiar looking armband. Hibari Kyoya would not be happy. He threw it down to the young student, who caught it on instinct. The teenager looked at it for a moment, confused, before screaming and dropping it.

"W-What were you doing with that, Reborn?! Where did you — Hibari is going to kill us!" Tsunayoshi dropped his broom and clutched his head, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Reine decided that he hated the rafters. He just had this suit dry cleaned too.

"Don't worry Tenth, I'll protect you from that bastard!" The bomber's eyes were shining — no — sparkling. How was that even possible?

The baseball star patted Tsunayoshi on the back, "Now, now, I'm sure this is all just one big misunderstanding-"

"Herbivores…" There was a very palpable aura surrounding the Disciplinary Chair. So much that he wondered if perhaps the young man was a flame user. Sometimes Reine wondered how he managed to escape the prefect relatively unscathed. "For property theft and loitering — I'll bite you to death."

"B-But we're—Hieee!" The young mafia heir ducked from a swing that Reine was pretty sure would have decapitated him. Scary… Was Reborn really sure about making Hibari Kyoya a family member?

"Bastard, I'll blow you to pieces!" Gokudera Hayato pulled out grenades from what seemed to be nowhere. At least Reine had a pocket to pull from — but the bomber seemed to have them all the time, no matter what he wore or what he was doing.

He didn't have them in his— no…no that would be far too uncomfortable.

Yamamoto grabbed Tsunayoshi's and Gokudera's arms. "This is bad — let's make a run for it!"

"Che, coward!" But the bomber complied, throwing a smoke bomb to facilitate their escape. Even with the smoke, Reine could sense at least where Hibari Kyoya was. That killer intent was phenomenal. Soon enough, Reine heard every single one of them vacate the premises. Running and trying to avoid Hibari Kyoya no doubt.

He turned on his coms device. "Reborn, was this truly necessary? Should I interfere?"

He could imagine the smirk on the hit man's face when he spoke. "No, Tsuna needs to learn how to deal with his family members and keep them in line after all. Plus, I was getting bored."

Reine felt the strong urge to smack his palm against his forehead.

Just as he was ready to make his escape and follow Tsunayoshi (using the GPS tracker Reborn had so generously given him), he heard a few voices down below.

"What the— the gym is still a mess!" The gym teacher…and the basketball team?

The children complained. "Wasn't class 1-A supposed to clean it up?"

"But you gotta remember, Dame-Tsuna's in that class!"

"Ugh, what did that idiot mess up the gym or something?"

"Probably. I mean what else is he good at?"

They snickered. The gym teacher groaned and sent the team off. "Go do warm-ups outside, boys. I'll be out looking for a few miscreants who thought they could skip cleaning duty."

"Gonna give them detention coach?" asked one particularly vicious teenager.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if that's enough nowadays…Now shut up and get moving! If I don't see you all sweating by the time I get back, you'll be cleaning the entire school with toothbrushes!" The team scattered and the coach left, muttering under his breath. When all were gone and the gym door closed, he made his way down the rafters.

He sneezed a bit, trying to get the dust off. The gym had a considerable amount of dirt and the mats and vaults were still strewn about the area.

Tsunayoshi was going to get into trouble again…

He peeked outside, seeing that the teacher was nowhere in sight and the boys were far from the gym, too busy exercising to notice him. Chores weren't listed in his orders.

_Protect Vongola Decimo and any acquired family members from harm. _

It wasn't particularly specific. Perhaps he should just continue pursuing the boy— then he heard the other students talking, trying to avoid warm-ups.

"Hey, what do you think's gonna happen when coach catches Dame-Tsuna and the other brats?"

"Probably gonna make him clean the school with a toothbrush," the other snorted.

"Hah, that No-good idiot would probably make the whole school dirtier!"

"Good point, they should just kick him out of school. I mean he's a total failure — how did he even get into here anyway?"

"Dude, I heard he got 0's three times in a row, even after retaking the same test!"

"What? — No way! I didn't know anyone was that stupid!"

The teenagers began to laugh to themselves.

It's not like the principal would allow that. Expulsion was a measure specifically reserved for truancy, delinquency, poor academics —

Now that Reine thought back to it, Tsunayoshi _did_ miss school at times because of Reborn's tutelage. Several times Tsunayoshi and his friends had destroyed the school, beaten down students, and carried dangerous weapons. And the boy also did poorly in every class, thus the name 'No-Good Tsuna'.

Another act out of line could very well make the administration consider expelling the child — if they weren't discussing it already. Certainly expulsion would damage Tsunayoshi's chances for higher education and would decrease mental acuity and even general health. And certainly, Gokudera Hayato and Yamamoto Takeshi would be upset, emotionally unbalanced and armed and most likely to cause trouble and get hurt as well. And then the amount of stress inflicted upon the Sawada family could very well be irreversible. And then Tsunayoshi, being under emotional duress, may not be able to protect himself from then on and would never be able to properly learn under Reborn and therefore fail as the Vongola candidate and then there would be no Decimo and there would be a terrible civil war worse than _Cradle_…

So in the end, he really was obligated to do Tsunayoshi's chores.

It was disheartening to go over it again in his mind and realize that such an outcome was not as farfetched as one would think. Especially if you take the remaining Varia into account…

He picked up a broom that lay neglected on the floor. He took off his blazer and rolled up his sleeves.

…

* * *

...

"I swear — ditching class duties to go mess around in the field!" Tsuna found himself being shoved towards the gym by Coach Osaru back to the gym.

He tried to say something, "B-But, H-Hibari-san-!"

"No, buts! Get going and clean this mess up — the moment I find you slacking I'm going to the principal!" Tsuna tried to explain again, what with the Disciplinary Chair attacking them, but the coach wouldn't let him get a single word in. "God, I don't know _why_ they let in brats like you in here. Stupid, lazy, _good-for-nothing-__" _

He really, really wished they hadn't decided to split up after all. At the time, it seemed like a good idea, seeing as Hibari couldn't be in three places at a time…right? (Yeah, haha it's not like Hibari's _that _crazy…) But then, well, just his luck of course to get caught by a teacher for 'slacking' off by avoiding certain death. And of course, because God up there loved him so much, he got caught by Coach Osaru. He swore up and down that the man had it out for him.

He always seemed to make Tsuna do ten times more work just for the sake of torturing him. And Tsuna being Tsuna, was rather no-good at athletic work in general - so it was twice as torturous than the more well-rounded student.

"-And don't even get me started on your terrible grades, how in the world you could fail something even the girls can do-" And he always seemed to force his images of others onto everyone. All girls were weak and stupid. Smart kids were sniveling weaklings. Student government was just a fancy way of slacking off for delinquents and children ought to listen and stay out of sight, not talk back. And athletic stars could do no wrong.

He was rude and cruel and, and…Tsuna really wished he hadn't been caught. This man…he could probably deal with it if his friends were there but—

"People like you ought to be expelled! That would make everyone's lives a bit easier—"

Sometimes those words hit a bit too close to home for him to take it in and brush it off like he usually did. He was used to hearing this kind of thing, he could handle it…

"Useless idiot, no-good brats like you should just disappear and stop infecting the other students with your lazy, pathetic—"

But it was hard to swallow sometimes. He had just started getting up - he didn't want to hit rock bottom again so soon. He didn't need to be reminded that the possibility of losing his friends for being...for being no-good was always there. He didn't need to be reminded of it.

Soon enough, the gym's doors were in front of him. Tsuna was all but ready to be shoved in and yelled at some more when he finally took his eyes off of the ground.

"E-Eh?"

The coach, having finally stopped yelling and taking a good look at the gym, gaped. "W-shat the-?"

The gym had never seemed better. Hell, the entire place, even the mats in the corner were sparkling! There was a soft, lemon fresh scent from air fresheners that Tsunayoshi distinctly remembered not being in the supply closet. Were the windows cleaned too? It seemed as if the room was a lot brighter now…

"H-How…you…Sawada!"

The no-good student jumped and turned around. The coach, if anything, seemed angrier than before. "Is this some kind of joke? Were you intentionally sending me on a wild goose chase and wasting my precious time-"

"Tsuna!"

"Tenth!"

At this point, Tsuna could have cried tears of joy. He turned around to see his friends (a little worse for wear seeing those scratches and bruises) running towards them. Gokudera came over first, scowling angrily and looking all but ready to punch the teacher in the face.

"You…were you harassing the tenth, you bastard?!" While Tsunayoshi did appreciate someone standing up for him, Gokudera wasn't really helping…

The coach turned into an ugly shade of red. "W-Why you — brat, I'll have you know, I'm a coach and I won't have a delinquent like you-" Immediately Yamamoto — thank God — came in between them.

"Maa, maa, let's just keep calm and —- whoa, the gym looks great!" The Coach turned even more angry and Yamamoto quickly changed is words. "I— er.. It looks even better now that we've cleaned it up, right Coach?" He proceeded to laugh loudly.

The man grunted, "I suppose…" He seemed to have been mollified a bit. Probably because Yamamoto was the baseball star of the school and excelled in everything physical. Again, good athletes could do no wrong in that man's eyes.

"Well, I'm glad that you like the job we've done here, so me, Tsuna and Gokudera are going to go change and head home!" Smoothly, Yamamoto slung an arm around the two students. He then turned out and shouted, "Hey guys, gym is clean!"

The basketball team quickly moved in towards the coach. Seeming to have been put in an awkward position, Coach Osaru seemed to have given up on yelling at them and groaned. "Er…Fine. Go home — and don't you dare skip out duties again or else you're going to be scrubbing the toilets with your teeth!" Then he turned his ugly mug to the rest of the team, "Did I say you could stop? Get back out there and do fifty lunges!"

The bomber pulled out a stick of dynamite from his shirt. "Like hell I'll let you get away with insulting-"

Tsuna jumped forward and covered his silver-haired friend's mouth. "O-of course, sir! We won't do it again, sir! We'll be going now!" And before anything else could happen, he grabbed his two friends and ran off towards the locker rooms. Eventually, when the man was out of sight, they stopped to take a breath. Or more like Tsuna did. Because damn his non-existent athletic abilities.

"T-Thank god," he sighed, "Osaru-sensei is so scary…"

Yamamoto laughed and crossed his arms behind his head. "Yeah, it's a good thing we got away."

The silver-haired teen beside him scoffed, "Che, that pompous bastard — how dare he speak to the tenth that way!" Then he did a complete turnaround and smiled, "But Tenth, that was amazing. The gym was sparkling and beautiful — just as I would expect from someone as great as you!"

"B-But it wasn't me… I was running with you guys and then I kinda got caught by Osaru-sensei," he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck.

The silver-haired teen then frowned and scoffed, "W-Well, that gym wasn't that nice looking anyway. I'm sure the tenth could have done it a thousand times better." Then his scowl turned a bit more contemplative.

But it was Yamamoto who asked the million dollar question, "So then...who cleaned the gym?"

…

* * *

...

Reine was running. Dodging knives and cake and people and children was not an easy task. A part of him felt almost grateful for having met Belphagor. Another part was repulsed at the thought of anyone remotely similar to him.

He could hear the terrified screams and frenzied footsteps as the Demon Chair of Namimori barreled through the crowd, either dodging or smashing items out of the way. He really should have just gone back to the apartment after he was done.

...

* * *

**TEN MINUTES AGO.**

* * *

...

Well, after Reine managed to clean the windows, he threw himself on the floor. The gym had been bit dirtier than he thought. He laid back and covered his eyes with his arm. He could feel his head throbbing a bit — the smell of disinfectant was beginning to get to him. It was at that moment that he heard footsteps coming. Before he could get up and hide, a certain baseball player stepped in.

* * *

**— What Yamamoto sees —**

"Shoot, this is bad—!" Yamamoto Takeshi ran in, slamming the door shut and placing his back against it. He knew that this wouldn't be enough to hold Hibari back but there it was worth trying. And maybe the door would slow Hibari down enough for him to escape and— "…Eh?"

Standing in front of him was a some guy. There were three bottles of disinfectant duct taped together and then taped again to the head and hiding the face. He was wearing a clean dress shirt with a tie and dress pants. Really uncomfortable and formal looking. Aside from the gun harness (were those things toys?), he looked ready to go to a business meeting. Like how the kid looked everyday actually.

The most Yamamoto Takeshi could think to do at the moment was laugh awkwardly and say, "Are you, uh, a part of the kid's game?"

* * *

The smell was unbearable, but it was all he could think of. They were already taped together and ready to be put away. Not exactly comfortable or inconspicuous, but it would have to do for now. He bowed stiffly, "Pardon me."

"Ah, w-wait-!"

Reine didn't wait for Yamamoto Takeshi to get closer. The tape was already beginning to slide off… He grabbed his jacket, throwing it over his shoulder. Using the mats and vaults he piled up, Reine jumped out the window.

The moment he touched the ground, he pulled the bottles off of his face. He rubbed his cheeks, feeling the sting of the tape from pulling it quickly. Not the most comfortable disguise. Perhaps he should walk around with a mask instead.

Things were becoming out of hand. He should be more vigilant — cautious. But when he reached out to pick up the fallen bottles, a foot stomped down on the container. Reine took a sharp breath and looked up.

Hibari Kyoya did not seem pleased. At all. "For trespassing, deliberately littering school property and disobeying school dress code—" Well, the prefect was also breaking school policy with his uniform and tonfas. "—I'll bite you to death."

...

* * *

**PRESENT**

* * *

**...**

The prefect never gave up. And while this may someday be invaluable to Tsunayoshi's family, he really, really wished the prefect just went home and _left him alone. _

"Stop running, omnivore!"

Reine would be content at being called an herbivore. Maybe then the Disciplinary Chair would lose interest. He considered playing dead. Then he recalled when a young, foolish yakuza member decided that he wished to be beaten to death by the infamous Demon Chairman of Namimori Middle. Even after the man was down, Hibari Kyoya had decided that defeat was not enough, and ruthlessly beat his opponent into the ground.

So playing dead. Not a good idea.

Reborn also warned against allowing the prefect to win. That would just hurt his pride and make him angrier, the hit man said. So that was also not allowed either. But he could not continue running through the streets for long — not with the possibility of being seen by Decimo and more of his family. He couldn't use his weapons in public either. None of that seemed to apply to Hibari Kyoya. Seeing as the Hibari family held Namimori as their personal territory, it wasn't so surprising for the townspeople to turn a blind eye to the prefect's transgressions.

It was a bit unfair.

"Hey, watch it!"

"What the hell's your problem-!"

"Ouch!"

As he ran, he kept on brushing shoulders and hitting bags. Thank goodness the shopping district wasn't any larger than this. He soon neared the end of the strip, away from the crowd. He looked around him - hoping for some where to hide. In between the next two buildings there was an alleyway. As good a hiding place as any. There was a large group of high-schoolers crowding the sidewalk walking in front of it.

This would work.

He jumped through the crowd. They stared. Then whispered excitedly with one another about being on a set of a movie. And in the commotion, he slipped away. He could feel the young man's impatience spike — the feeling of doom hung heavily over Reine's head. He didn't stay put to hear what happened to the high-schoolers when Hibari approached them.

Ignoring the subsequent screams of terror, he ran down the alley and found…?

A small plaza?

He stopped for a moment. He didn't recall passing through here before — he supposed that wasn't too surprising. It was small, dark and cramped. And why would his ward ever go into such an isolated area? Perhaps it was part of the old shopping district — nothing but a dusty cul-de-sac.

There was only one store open with a rusty sign reading 'Utakata Tea Shop' placed above the entrance. It seemed relatively cleaner than its neighbors. There were lights on inside but it seemed as if no one was there.

The moment he heard the footsteps start again he didn't hesitate to run inside.

"U-um…w-welcome-?" Without bothering to greet the woman at the register, he ran to the far corner of the shop and hid under the table. He pulled the table cloth a little lower to cover him better.

A few seconds later, he heard the door opened again. "A-ah, H-Hibari-san! T-T-To w-what do I owe the p-pleasure?" The woman's stuttering intensified.

"Hn." Footsteps moved towards the register. "Where is he?" The prefect sounded irritated. The table Reine was hiding under was near the back door, probably leading to the kitchen. It was a good escape route when things go wrong.

The woman squeaked. She sounded at a loss as to what to do. "H-He? U-um…w-who?"

The dark-haired young man huffed. "Then I'll find him myself." Reine pulled his head down under the table. The prefect probably sensed him already. He had to find another place to hide… A pair of black shoes came into view. He pulled out a smoke bomb in his pocket-

A door slammed open and a new voice spoke. "Hey, Hibari-bocchan!" The voice was flat and bored. The black shoes backed away and were faced with a pair of rainbow flip flops. "What you think you're doing? Harassing poor Jun-kun over here."

"I-Iroha-san-!"

"A bug crawled in through here," the prefect smacked his tonfa against the table. Reine jumped. "I'm here to deal with it personally."

"Eh, then I'll get the bug spray out and when it's outta here, it's all yours." The woman sounded so calm in the face of danger. "But your scary face is going to make the tea leaves wither. Get your fancy ass out of here and—"

Frantic taps across the floor. And soon enough a pair of brown loafers appeared behind the flip flops. "W-what, I-Iroha-san is trying to say i-is that your weekly order f-for barley tea isn't in y-yet. W-we'll deliver tomorrow a-at school! I-I'll even bring mochi for you — f-f-free of charge!"

Peeking from beneath the tablecloth, Reine could see that the prefect calmed down a bit more. Though he seemed…reluctant to accept this proposition. For a moment, their eyes met and Reine nearly flinched. The Disciplinary Chair scowled but surprisingly, he turned and walked away.

The flip flop lady scoffed, "Che, you indulge that brat too much." The flip flops stopped in front of him and a hand pulled up the table cloth. "Hey Mr. Bug, time to get out." She pulled away, letting him crawl out of the space. He brushed off of his shirt and pants — mostly out of habit than necessity. It was surprisingly clean under there. The rainbow flip flops — was a messy, blonde woman with dull grey eyes. Next to her was the brown loafers — a plain looking lady that shuffled her feet when he looked at her.

The messy woman flipped her hair and yawned, "I'm gonna go back to sleep, so Boss, you deal with the customers."

"U-um…r-right!" Boss? The plain woman hardly seemed capable of being a manager.

The messy woman turned to him. "Look, I don't give a damn why the brat was chasing you, just don't bring that kind of shit here. We got enough problems as it is." She yawned again and stretched. "Mmm…I'mma sleep now. But if I get up and you're still here, prepare to get your ass handed to you."

"…Very well." He bowed. He supposed it was prudent to be polite. "I am…grateful for your interference." The woman scoffed and rolled her eyes before walking into the back again. He supposed that he had been fortunate in appearing here. But the shop's significance was lost on him.

He took in his surroundings. There were various potted plants, mainly colorful cacti and a few miniature bonsai trees. Most of the tables were covered with yellowed tablecloths and doilies. The walls were covered in cracked flowery wallpaper and the floor was scratched, worn down wood. The register and counter seemed in better condition, but still worn.

"U-um…p-please don't mind I-Iroha-san…" a soft voice whispered from across the room. The plain woman was in the corner at the register, hiding her face behind a menu. Held upside down. From what he could see of her face, it was very, very red. When he looked at her, she hid her face completely. "I-I-I know I-Iroha-san can be a bit crass b-but she's a nice p-person."

Was he supposed to speak to her? He walked over to her. The woman held her menu tight, her knuckles turning white and the menu bending from the force. "Is — Is there a-anything I can h-help you with?" She spoke so quietly that he had to lean forward to hear.

The moment he did, the woman pulled back even more. What did he do wrong? He didn't think he did anything to her that would make her afraid. He chose his next words carefully. Be polite. Be clear. But most importantly…

He stared at her intently, and said in as clear a voice as possible, "Please tell me how you know Hibari Kyoya."

_Rip out all the information they__'__re worth! It doesn__'__t matter if it__'__s a man or woman or a baby, you drag out all the stuff worth learning about __— __voiiii! _

The woman, despite him trying to be polite as possible, began shaking uncontrollably and pedaled backwards. She looked terrified. "H-Hibari-san? W-Why…?" He stared at her, cocking his head and frowning. What had he said that frightened her so? As he stared her, trying to think of the reason, the woman squeaked, "A-Alright then I-I-I'll tell y-y-you!"

She backed up all the way to the wall, looking ready to collapse.

He tried to ask if she was alright but she immediately spoke, "H-Hibari-san is a regular here! H-He doesn't like crowds so he comes here to nap sometimes! A-And he o-o-orders stuff here s-s-sometimes s-so t-that's why he c-c-comes h-here a-and not a lot of people come here because it's too isolated and h-hard to find and t-that's why this happens and, and his favorite order is barley tea and mochi- a-and t-that's about it! That's all I know! And- and please don't hurt me and—" the rest of her words trailed off into incomprehensible mumbles.

Reine pulled out his book, writing down what she said as quickly as he could. That would be enough. For now. He would have to do a thorough search of this woman's profile later and put her on file.

After she finished, he shut his book and bowed. "Thank you, for your cooperation. I will take my leave now." Without waiting for her to respond, fearing another outburst, he walked out of the shop.

That went well.

Or as well as he could make it. He wondered why she was so frightened. He had said 'please' and made sure to communicate his intentions clearly.

He shook his head. It happened quite often - perhaps it was normal for people to be fearful when one asked questions.

…

* * *

…

On the flip side of things, Nakahara Junko was absolutely terrified. The moment that man came running into her shop, she thought she was going to have a heart attack. Their eyes met for a moment and her stomach did flip flops.

Gold eyes….

Did he have contacts on or something?

She didn't have time to think more about it as the first thing he did was hide under the table. Next thing she knew, Hibari ran into the store. "A-ah, H-Hibari-san! T-T-To w-what do I owe the p-pleasure?" she stuttered.

And the rest was history. Iroha came out and saved her. And by some miracle, Hibari left. But not without glaring at the table the man was hiding under. Even if it wasn't at her, she flinched. She felt sorry for him. Getting Hibari's attention wasn't the best thing. She'd seen what happened, heard the rumors.

But anyway, when the young man left Iroha gave a scolding to the weird man hiding under their table. Then she left to take a nap. Leaving Junko with the weird man. Alone. Just the two of them.

She immediately jumped back behind the counter. B-Better than nothing right? She was going to be fine. Just treat him like another customer. Not like she had many customers b-but… So yes, be polite. But when he walked over, stood in front of her and stared… She was horrified.

What was wrong with his eyes? Were they real or fake or..?

They were scary…They seemed to be staring right through her and picking away at every secret she could possibly have-

Like staring at a cat. Or an owl. Or a lizard. You know…creepy things. She gulped and tried to be a good hostess. But the moment she did she regretted it. Because immediately she felt the atmosphere grow dark and when she looked up, he was glaring. Glaring! And he had a scary aura around him.

"Please tell me how you know Hibari Kyoya." His voice was blank, but he was glaring. Or maybe that was his face—no he was glaring! He was glaring at her! _What do you want from meeee?! _

(Unbeknownst to the speaker, Reine had entered 'interrogation mode'. Which was similar to Hibari's 'death mode' except a tamer — but still terrifying as eye witnesses said. Of course, Reine added the word 'please'. So obviously he wasn't being intimidating. At least — that was what went on in his head.)

She wanted to wail that out loud. And maybe Iroha would have come running to help her. But she kept her mouth shut.

_No__…__I-I have to stand up for myself. B-Besides, I'm the owner and he's a customer! A__fter you tell him, he__'__ll go away and you__'__ll probably never see each other ever, ever again. Just buck up now, Junko, you can do this! _

When she looked up, he was staring at her again.

W-was he angry that she wasn't responding? And that dark cloud hadn't gone away at all. W-was he going to do something to her if she didn't do anything? _H-help me__…_ A moment longer and Junko cracked under the glare and practically barfed every thing she knew. As she spoke, she crept backwards and pulled the menu over her head to protect herself.

She barely even noticed that the man was leaving. The moment the door bell rang she collapsed in a heap on the floor. Why did it feel like she was interrogated by some scary yakuza person or something? Then it hit her. It wouldn't be all too surprising if he _was_ a yakuza. A suit, scary eyes, getting chased by law-keeper Hibari.

The blood drained from her face and she collapsed over the counter, feeling her soul fly out of her body.

_Mama__…__save me! Don__'__t let that person ever come back here! _

It was some time before she managed to get back to work. Clean the tables. Do the dishes. Cook. The usual. She couldn't focus on her studies and she couldn't sleep. All she could think of were gold eyes looming overhead. She was scared to look in her dresser that morning in fear of seeing two lights looking back.

B-But that was ridiculous! Nothing could fit in there! Or at least…that's what she told herself. After a few days of the same routine, the uneasiness began to disappear. Sweep up. Open. Wait at the counter. Cook. Sleep. Sweep up. Open. Wait…

The same thing as usual, day in and day out.

After a week, she managed to put the man out of her mind. Back to normal. Things were going along nicely again. She even got a bottle of sake as a present from one of her tenants on the second floor. How nice and not utterly rancid for once.

She was currently reading a book. It was a nice book about a little prince, trying to find his way home after falling into a horrible sleep. He meets friends all along the way and slowly gains the strength to beat the evil queen that keeps him from finding happiness.

When Iroha saw her reading it, she raised a brow and asked, "Isn't that a children's book?"

Of course, Junko blushed. She stammered, "B-But, i-it's a good book! I-It gives a good message and it's pretty…" She put her head down in embarrassment. Iroha sighed and patted her head.

"Whatever floats your boat, Boss. I'm gonna take a nap. You enjoy your uh…book." What was with that tone? It was fine! Sure it was a small book and but it was an art book with the nicest illustrations and, and…who was she kidding?

_I__'__m an idiot__…_

She shook her head, trying to swat away the dark cloud hanging over her. Then the bell rang. Immediately, she dropped her book, picked up a menu and turned to face the door. "W-Welcome..." the words died in her throat.

"Pardon me." That man stood at the door, his face covered in shadow. But she knew who it was. For a second, Junko could only stand there, scared stiff, as the man approached the counter. "May I stay here until the Disciplinary Chair leaves?" He gestured behind him.

"W-what?" she squeaked. She pulled the menu off her head for a moment to peek beyond the man. In the distance she could see the prefect himself stalking the area in front of her shop, glaring. And surprising enough he wasn't going in, only seething.

"He appears less violent when I enter…" the man commented off-handedly. _More like extra bloodthirsty! _He turned his focus back to her seeming more…self-conscious? She wasn't sure. "May I stay—"

"S-sure! T-T-take a seat a-and y-you can go!" she squeaked and ducked behind the counter. She heard him walk away and a chair squeaked. When she peered over the counter again, she saw him sitting at the table farthest from the window. He put his head down and closed his eyes. He seemed a lot less scary that way… Younger. More tired. She shook her head.

_I-I__'__m the owner I-I have to put my foot down and tell him to leave. He can__'__t just come in here and s-scare me. O-or make Hibari come over. They're both__ going to scare away the customers! N-not like I had a lot to begin with__…__But still! _

Steeling herself, she stood up from her hiding place. She was going to walk over and tell him to go. Her legs were still shaking a bit. But she could do this. She walked up to his table. He still had his head down. She felt a pang of pity but slapped her cheeks. _No! You have to put your foot down!_

"U-um e-e-excuse me…" she started. He looked up.

"…Yes?" He sounded tired. But then his eyes sharpened and focused on her. They were really bright. Too bright. Was he glaring at her again? She tried to say it. She really, really did.

"U-um…u-u-um…." He stared. She started quivering. Then she bowed, "I-If-you'd-like-anything-else-just-tell-me-I'll-be-in-the-back!" she blurted, before running away and hiding in the kitchen. Slamming the door behind her, she slid down to the floor and curled up to hug her knees.

"God please, help meeee!" she wailed.

…

* * *

…

_Name: Nakahara Junko_

_Gender: Female_

_Age: 21_

_Occupation: Restaurant owner_

_Affiliations: None_

_Extra Notes: _

_A very ordinary person. Poses minimal threat and is a useful source of information. She owns the teahouse, Utakata, and is willing to allow me to rest there when Hibari is pursuing me. As she shows little threat and has very little interaction with Tsunayoshi and his famigilia, I have deemed this area safe. _

_Also, the owner seems to be frightened by my presence. I have made a note in my mind to offer aid in return providing me sanctuary. Just recently, I offered her a first aid kit in response to her constant tripping around the restaurant. _

…

_Dear Diary, _

_I think I dug myself into a hole. Ever since then, that guy keeps coming back. Should I call the police? What should I do? I can__'__t stop thinking about how he might run in and shoot me. O-Or hide in my closet and kill me like those psychopaths in the movies! Ahhh, I don__'__t want to think about it anymore! He even gave me a first aid kit today. I-Is this some sort of warning? Like is he going to send the yakuza after me for seeing too much or__—__or because I serve Hibari food? I__'__m too scared to touch it._

_Iroha thinks it__'__s all a big joke. That jerk. And to make things worse, she thinks I like_ like _him_._ And I don__'__t! Who could have a crush on someone so scary?_

_That__'__s all for now I guess. _

_I hope this isn't my last entry,_

_Junko. _

...

* * *

**A/N: Poor, poor Junko. **

**So love? Like? Dislike? Hate? Hate me enough that you come after me with your torches and pitchforks and demand that I burn this abomination to kingdom come? Maybe the last one. Probably the last one. **

**So yeah. That's it. Another OC appeared. If only to highlight Reine a bit more. Mebbe some Decimo interaction in the future. The very, very far off future. K bye. Love you guys who actually care about this. You guys are the MVPs. The Baes. **


End file.
